Governors Forum on Reading

Monday, December 8, 2025

Governors and State Policy Leaders

11:30 a.m.
Private Luncheon
Presidential Reception Hall

1:15 p.m.
Discussion Sessions Begin
The afternoon will feature a series of dialogues, designed to be conversational with the governors in attendance. While select experts will kick off each dialogue, these sessions are not panel discussions.

Dialogue One: The Power of Governors to Lead on Reading
Jeb Bush, Former Governor of Florida
and Sitting Governors

Dialogue Two: Reading as a Winning Electoral Message
Margaret Spellings, President and CEO, Bipartisan Policy Center
Kristen Soltis Anderson, Founding Partner, Echlon Insights
Margie Omero, Principal, GBAO Strategies

Literacy as a Federal Priority
Kirsten Baesler, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

Dialogue Three: Continuing Strong Policies Across Administrations
Bill Lee, Governor of Tennessee
Bill Haslam, Former Governor of Tennessee

Dialogue Four: Leading on Reading to Strengthen State Economies
Tom Kane, Walter H. Gale Professor Education and Economics, Harvard University
Marty West, Academic Dean & Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

4:45 p.m.
Sessions Conclude

6:00 p.m.
Optional Dinner for State Policy Leaders and Speakers

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

State Policy Leaders

8:30 a.m.
Breakfast

9:00 a.m.
Discussion Sessions Begin
The morning will feature a series of dialogues, designed to be conversational with the state policy leaders in attendance. While select experts will kick off each dialogue, these sessions are not panel discussions.

Dialogue One: The Houston Miracle
Mike Miles, Superintendent, Houston Independent School District
Mike Morath, Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency
Todd Willams, Chairman and CEO, Commit Partnership

Dialogue Two: How to Monitor Success and Continuously Improve
Patricia Levesque, CEO, ExcelinEd
Rebecca Kockler, Founder and CEO, Magpie Literacy
Lizzette Reynolds, Tennessee Commissioner of Education
McKenzie Snow, Director of the Iowa Department of Education

Dialogue Three: Engaging Educators in Improvement Efforts
Tequilla Brownie, CEO, TNTP
Kymyona Burk, Senior Policy Fellow, ExcelinEd
Emily Freitag, Co-Founder and CEO, Instruction Partners

Dialogue Four: A New Vision for Teacher Prep
Heather Peske, President, National Council on Teacher Quality
Katy Anthes, Former Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Education
Christina Grant, Executive Director, Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University

Please note lunch will be served during Dialogue Four.

12:45 p.m.
Event Concludes